And william carroll



@ditch tetralstrut ffice.

s n. RHoADns, oFoLYDn'oI-'IIQAND WILLIAM'. oARRoLL, or. HILLS- DALE, MICHIGAN.

Letters Patent l70. 77,760, dated May 12,1868,

dige .rlphnlr march in im ilgtse Etnias. zrtent mit mating mit In' lg'e same.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

'Be it knownthat we, S. H. RHOADES, of Clyde, in the county of Sandusky, and State of'Ohio, and WILLIAM CARROLL, of Hillsdale, in the county of Hillsdale, and State of Michigan, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Hay-For'ks; and we' do hereby declare that the following is a fu'll and complete description of the same, reference being had to'the accompanying drawings,n1aking a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view ofthe fork.

Figure 2 is a vertical section.

Like letters refer to like parts. l

In iig. 1, A represents a. attened tube or sheath, the lower.v end of which VAis armed vwith a` steel point, B. In this tube is tted a shaft, C, iig. ?.1 The upper end of this shaft terminates in a ring,"D. v To'the lower end are pivoted the prongs E at the points F is Aa case enclosing` the catches a 6, pivoted to the shcath'at the points X, `:md by which the forli is; locke-d and sprung. 'Each ofthe cutches'is furnish'edw-ith it spring, c d, by which it is sprung into position for locking the fork, as will hereafter be shown.

The practicall operation of this fork is as follows: When in the condition shown in fig. 1, itis thrust down in'tothe hay, which may besupposed to be a load standing hlongside ofthe bay or mow. I

This/being done, the prongs E are then compelledcutward, as indicated by the dotted lines in tig. 2, by pressing down upon .the shaft C, to which they are pivotecl, as above said', -the catch Zz, first being disengaged from the notch by depressing the arm of the same, as indicated by the dotted lines c',`\vh ich will allow the shaft to descend until the notches a are engagedby the catch a, which will hold the distended prongs while the hay is beingl lifted by the fork, it being drawn upward by an appropriate arrangement of pulleys for that purpose.v

The hay is discharged from thefork by disengaging the catch a-from the notches a', and which is done by pulling on the cord A. The prongs are then-withdrawn from the hayvinto the tube', as shown in fig. 2. In this condition the prongs are restrained from being forced outward, by the catch b, which is sprung into engagement with the notch by the springe, as wasthe catch d sprung into the notch ci bythe spring d.

It will be observed that the lower endA of the shaft C is Inuch enlarged, forming a kind of hea-d, J, to which the prongs are pivoted. At the conjunction ofthis'head to the shaft are shoulders f, which, on vthe withdrawing of the prongs, collide' with the shoulders ofthe tube which receives the shock, thereby relieving the lockingnpparatus from the violenceof the blow which always follows the withdrawing ofthepro'ngs.

It willalso be observed that each prong is backed by n spring, b', by which, when the prongs are withdrawn,

they are prevented'from protruding their points whilethe fork is being thrust into the hay, which they willA often do when not thus prevented, thereby rendering the insertion ofthe fork-a work of much labor.

Figure 3 shows a form of catch-which may be used in place of that above described, which in some respects is deemed the most desirable.

What we claim as O ur improvement," and desire to secureby'Letters Patent,is `l. The springs b in combination with prongs E, for the purpose specified. 2. The catches a b, andsprings c d, as constructed and arranged to operate in combination with-the shaft C, for the purpose specified.

S. H. RHOADES, WM. CARROLL.

Witnesses:

W. H..'BURR1DGE, J. SUTTON.A 

